India Beat Sri Lanka and Became 1st finalist for Asia Cup 2023
BHARAT vs SRILANKA: India Beat Sri Lanka and Became 1st finalist for Asia Cup 2023. India has once again secured a spot in the Asia Cup final in an impressive display. They defeated Sri Lanka by 41 runs in Colombo, earning a berth in the final of this prestigious Asian cricket tournament. Sri Lanka, in response to India’s total of 213 runs, could only manage to score 172 runs before losing all their wickets.
India: 213-10 (Rohit Sharma 53, KL Rahul 38, Vellalaga 5-40)
Sri Lanka: 172-10 (Dunith Vellalaga 42, Dhananjay 41, Jadeja 2-33)
India clinches a 41-run victory.
The 20-year-old Dunith Velalaga emerged as a standout performer in this match. He almost single-handedly challenged the entire Indian team, claiming 5 wickets with the ball and contributing an unbeaten 42 runs with the bat. Although Sri Lanka couldn’t secure a victory, the cricketing world has undoubtedly witnessed the rise of a promising talent in Velalaga. Despite his valiant efforts, India had little trouble in overcoming Sri Lanka, ultimately winning the match by a margin of 41 runs and booking their place in the Asia Cup final.
India got off to a strong start when they batted first. Captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill made an impressive beginning with the bat. However, after putting up 80 runs on the board, Gill fell victim to Dunith Velaga’s bowling, leading to a series of wickets. The previous match’s centurion, Virat Kohli, departed after contributing just 3 runs, also falling to the young left-arm spinner. Rohit Sharma was dismissed after facing just one ball, leaving India at 91 runs for the loss of 3 wickets.
Following these setbacks, Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul formed a resilient partnership. Yet, it was Velalaga who ended their 63-run partnership by dismissing Rahul for 39. Subsequently, Hardik Pandya (5), Ishan Kishan (33), and Ravindra Jadeja (4) were dismissed in quick succession. Towards the end, Akshar Patel (26) fought alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to help India post a total of 213 runs. Notably, Dinuth Velalaga was the standout performer for Sri Lanka, taking crucial wickets, including those of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya.
In response, Sri Lanka faced a challenging start, with Indian fast bowlers taking 3 wickets with just 25 runs on the board. Kushal Mendis and Samarawickrama provided some resistance, but their partnership was short-lived. Samarawickrama was dismissed at 68 runs, while Kushal Mendis also fell quickly. Captain Dasun Shanaka couldn’t stay at the crease for long either. Consequently, Sri Lanka found themselves at 99 runs for losing 6 wickets.
However, the heroes of the day, Dunith Velalaga and Dhananjay de Silva, orchestrated an impressive partnership, adding 63 runs for the seventh wicket. This partnership gave Sri Lanka hope, but once Dhananjay was dismissed at 162 runs, the match’s outcome became nearly certain. Sri Lanka’s last three wickets fell quickly, with Kuldeep Yadav securing his 150th career wicket by taking 2 wickets in the final over. As a result, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 172 runs, and India emerged victorious with a 41-run win.
With this victory, India has reached the Asia Cup final for the tenth time, having emerged as champions on seven occasions. The winner of the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will face India in the final showdown.
